Auburndale residents demand faster downzoning

Residents of Auburndale, Queens, say the suburban character of their neighborhood is threatened and are calling on the city to speed up its downzoning process, which began back in 2004. “We want protection for our neighborhood as we found it, as we like it and as we bought into it — and we want it as quickly as possible,” Terri Pouymari, president of the Auburndale Improvement Association, said at a public meeting. State Sen. Frank Padavan, a Republican of Bellerose, said the Planning Commission was too focused on Mahattan.